by Lara Sweety
“Jesus, Shannon, you’re buck naked. Put your clothes back on. You’re being a tease, damn it. No fair.”
“You don’t like me? I’m not beautiful or sexy like Jen? What? Tell me!”
Better, and wasted. He was covering his eyes and backing into the water to try to escape his erection being discovered. “Sure, but damn it, you play for the other team. Your body is incredible Shannon, but—shit—.”
“What?!” She yelled at him. Shannon’s mouth dropped open. She couldn’t believe her ears.
“You think because I hate skirts, love guns, and play softball that I’m a lesbian?!” He slowly uncovered his eyes, drinking her in. Jess was looking at her hard now. He could see the hurt on her face.
“You think I’m a ...?” She trailed off in disbelief. She asked the question softly as she walked farther into the water stopping just in front of him. How could he have not seen the truth?
“You’re not?” He asked her, eyebrows raised, incredulous expression. She shook her head in response.
Jess’s mind was doing flips, and he was getting harder. He couldn’t help but stare.
“So why no boyfriends?” How had he gotten his signals mixed up?
Shannon was done waiting for him to notice her. It was high time to take a chance, so she knew one way or the other, if she had any kind of future with her best friend. This was the guy she’d been in love with since middle school.
“Because,” she moved close to him and stared into his crystal eyes, “because every time a guy got interested, you’d chase them off.”
The want in her eyes made him smile.
“Because every time a guy would ask me out, I would compare him to you.”
Shannon closed the space between them and gently slipped her arms around his neck, brushing her hardened nipples against his chest.
“Because every time I went out with someone, I felt like I was cheating on you.” She leaned into him, bent her head to kiss his chest, tasting, inhaling his scent. Then she tipped her head up to find his jaw and then his cheek.
“Because I was waiting for you.”
He sucked in a breath, feeling her naked body pressed against his. Jess was in shock that he’d missed the truth, that she’d never told him how she felt, that the girl he’d dreamed of for years was kissing him. He bent his head to meet hers, “Really?”
She reached behind his head and gently drew him down to her and kissed him. Once. Soft and slow.
“Really.”
He twined his arms around her to draw her close, kissing her the way he’d always dreamed of, hard, then soft. She moaned softly into his mouth, and he felt her melting into him. Damn. She felt so good, better than his dreams. Amazing. Soft, incredibly soft, every inch of her melting into his hands. He could feel her shiver, “Cold?” She shook her head, and he drew her tight against him, kissing her again.
Jess felt Shannon’s hands slip below the water. As she stroked his hard length over his jean shorts, his eyes slid closed, feeling her touch, he groaned. When he opened, them, she was unbuttoning and unzipping him. He stopped her hands, holding her wrists gently, “Are you sure? I don’t have a c-----.”
She looked at him intently and nodded, pushing his hands away to continue. “I’ve got it covered, and if I can’t trust you, I can’t trust anyone. I know you’re not a saint, baby, but you’re clean, right?”
“I’m good.” Of that he was confident.
He was still amazed. Taking her by the hand, he pulled her to the bank. He slipped off his wet shorts and underwear. She watched as his hard length sprang free. She smiled. Yes, he was worth it.
Jess glided backward into the water to look at her. He’d accidentally seen her before, naked, but never had the chance to see her the way he was now. Now he was studying her beautiful body—every beautiful tender inch, her blonde tresses falling softly over her shoulders, over her—he shuddered in want.
A powerful force drew him to her, and now, he didn’t have to hold back. He closed the space between them to explore her with his hands. He ran a fingertip down her neck to the valley between her breasts. He hesitated for a minute to take them in, so perfect, tender nipples stretching to him, taut, the skin around them pulled in hard rivulets, still remaining soft to his touch. Watching her react made him draw in a sharp breath. He continued his trail down her ribs to her belly button, circling it, dipping lower with each circle, watching her quiver, toying with her as she watched his hand.
Shannon gasped when he cupped her soft mound, squeezing, stroking her. She was already trembling before, now he had her going weak in the knees. Just when she thought she would explode, he slid his hands up to draw her closer and dipped his head to savor her breasts. Kissing, licking, with his every move, he pushed her higher, her desire heavy, pooling between her legs in a fiery heat.
She reached to stroke him, feeling him twitch in her hand. She cupped and fondled all his manhood; he groaned in pleasure. Taking his flared head between her fingers, she rubbed over the sensitive tip making him slick with his own moisture. She watched his breathing change, deeper, sharper, his eyes closing, and the ripple of the muscles in his hardened chest. He was exquisite.
Jess stopped to lead her to the bank, throwing his shirt beneath her. He guided her to a soft spot on the bank and lowered himself to her. Landing beside her, he bent to kiss her, taking her lips in his, then parting them to search her soft mouth.
“You taste so good.”
She smiled, and he shivered at the look on her face—pure lust, for him, only him. She closed her eyes and arched to him as he bent to her chest.
Taking first one nipple and then the other into his mouth, he showed his appreciation for each soft breast. His straining length grazed her thigh, teasing her further. He kissed a trail up her neck to capture her mouth as he slipped a finger slowly into her heat, eliciting a long moan of pleasure. She was wet, really wet and it was him that had made her this way.
Shannon arched to him, gasping as he moved in and out of her slowly, finding every spot that elicited an oh or ah. The heat that had flooded her at his first touch was now licking her with climbing flames.
He nestled himself between her thighs, reaching down to stroke her hardened clit, tapping her wet opening with his erection. She cried out at his touch, which threatened to send her over the edge. Her entire body consumed with want, she reached around him dug her fingers into his buttocks, and pulled him to her. He lost all control. He entered her slick, waiting passage, pushing hard, burying himself in her completely.
Shannon’s eyes flew open as she yelped in pain; she dug her fingers into his back, holding him in place, urging him to stop for a moment. She stared into crystal blue eyes that sparkled and shimmered with passion for her. She took a deep breath; the temporary pain subsided, turning into agonizing pleasure. She urged him on into a slow rhythm.
“Did I hurt you?” He hesitated. He knew the last thing he’d want to do would be to ever hurt Shannon.
“Only for a second.” She smiled up at him.
His eyes grew wide, realizing what had just happened. “Shannon?”
She ran her fingers through his hair and pulled his head back to her.
“Shhhh...please, please don’t stop.” Her eyes draped shut and she smiled in the bliss of their connection. “You’re so worth it. Please, baby, don’t ever stop.”
Settling into a steady rhythm, he stroked her slowly, grazing her center of pleasure with his hard length, nudging her ever closer to the edge of ultimate ecstasy. A pure white flood of heated passion invaded her consciousness, electric and all-consuming, she gave to it. Trusting him, she let everything else fall away and gave herself over to desire. She let the flood of heat become an electric orchestra that exploded its crescendo from her core, outward. Waves of pure ecstasy flooded her body, rising, peaking, and crashing. She cried out in pleasure, digging her nails into his back.
Jess smiled at her, his eyes falling shut as he concentrated on how tight she was,
how wet, how amazingly perfect for him. He continued slowly, feeling her, wave on wave. He slowed to let her enjoy it fully.
Fluttering, her eyes opened, a single tear fell from each. God she was beautiful, her faced flushed, her eyes reflecting every light ray in facets of emerald green. The look in her eyes exploded him. Once, in, hard and slow out, almost his full length, twice, then he crashed into her hard—he stared into her eyes until his own closed. That look on her face—she loved him. What he had only dreamed he’d ever see and feel was right there under him, with him, surrounding him, holding him. He was enveloped by her, only her, with an intensity that rocked him. He exploded in his own orgasm. Stroking and shooting his heat into her, he roared in sheer pleasure. Shannon.
He continued until he had nothing left to give, and quivering, he fell against her, sucking in the sweet flesh of her neck and kissing her, he dove into her last moans and sighs. She had wanted him, needed him, and he’d taken her.
He whispered in her ear. “You’re mine. No one else will ever have you.”
Jess pushed off to come to rest beside her. The two lay side by side, staring, raptured in one another until their breathing slowed and their strength returned. She was his.
Jess rolled to his side, pushing up close to her, drawing lazy circles on her tummy and breasts, feeling her, studying her, watching her twitch with aftershocks and basking in his love. He looked up and into her eyes once again, “Shannon, why didn’t you tell me?”
“Tell you what?” Still flushed, she smiled up at him, a satiated, wistful smile.
“That you were a virgin.” Jess searched her with a distressed face.
“Jess, please, stop. I wanted you. I’ve wanted you for as long as I can remember. I wouldn’t have wanted it to turn out any different. That was amazing. You are amazing.” She pulled him to her, holding him as tight as she could, and he held her the same, the tight embrace melding them together.
When they finally relaxed, Jess found the courage to ask her what he’d wanted to ask her for a long time. “Shannon this—us, this answers a lot of questions that I wanted to ask you when we came down here. I’ve been waiting for you forever, thinking, praying, “it” was a phase or some shit. I’ve always been crazy about you. You just blew my mind!” Jess tossed his head back, laughing at the chain of events.
“And I’m crazy about you. I can’t believe you had your wires crossed so badly and didn’t see it.” Shannon lay back onto the bank, laughing, staring at the blue sky.
“I love you, Shannon. I’ve loved you since you kissed me when you were in the fifth grade, maybe before.” He chuckled, remembering that he’d run away from her. His reaction had made her cry.
Shannon pulled up on one arm to look into his eyes. “I love you. I always have.” Tears now flooded her eyes. Jess pulled her to him tightly and held her, letting the salty drops fall on his arm.
“Marry me.” Jess’s face was serious, earnest as he pulled away to search her eyes.
“Jess?!” Shannon was as excited as she was shocked.
“Shannon MacClain, will you marry me?” He was now hovering over her, with her on her back and in his arms, his naked body pressed against hers, his eyes trained on hers.
“I....” Shannon didn’t get to finish.
Not normally talkative, Jess’s excited thoughts were now tumbling out in rapid succession. “Now, you can think about it if you need to, but there is no reason not to. We have known each other for—hell, we’ve been best friends forever. We—” Jess was thinking of everything in the book he could throw at an argument from Shannon.
“Yes.”
“—have been though some crazy shit together and we always come out okay. We know how to argue and be okay. Now—we fit each other perfectly. I want to make love to you for the rest of my....”
Shannon was nodding as she put a finger to his lips to quiet him. “I said yes,” she told him softly, smiling.
“Yes?!” Jess LeGrande was finally at a loss for words.
“Yes, I’ll marry you. I want to marry you. I’ve always wanted to marry you. I love you.” She put her arms around his neck and pulled him down into a long, slow, passionate kiss, their sweat slicked bodies completely embraced.
__________________________
“It’s damn near dark. Where are they?” Adam didn’t trust his baby sister to be away from his watch under the circumstances, with anyone, even if it was Jess.
Laurel wasn’t going to wait, being aggravated from being under constant guard. “The whole stinkin’ farm is under surveillance. They’ll be fine. Dinner is getting cold. Let’s eat.” She had her suspicions about Shannon and Jess, but wouldn’t be broadcasting them to the group.
“Seth, you can’t always cook like this. I’m gonna get fat!” Everyone laughed and nodded in agreement. The spread was outstanding. It was a typical Southern fried chicken dinner with mashed potatoes and gravy. It threatened to stick in places no girl wanted it to.
“Very well, diet food it is, from now on,” Seth proclaimed, although he wasn’t sure if he could get away with it, judging from the groans that came from the gentlemen.
Laurel’s extended family and the extra guard rotation had just begun to pass food around when the door to the mudroom creaked. Jake jumped up with pistol in hand ready to blow the would-be attacker to bits.
“Geez, Jake, you’re scaring the shit out of me.” Laurel’s heart was racing.
“It’s just me and Shannon.” Jess’s voice rumbled as he approached the entry to the kitchen. Kicking off their muddy shoes, Jess and Shannon walked through the door toward the table a little sheepishly. The group stared at them; they looked at each other and grinned. Shannon’s backside was covered with mud and both their hair mussed. Jess’s forearms were muddy and the inseparable pair both had sand all over them.
Adam started to clap. “It’s about time.” That set everyone off into thunderous applause and gales of laughter. Jess and Shannon grinned and stared at each other blushing deeply, but not denying anything.
Finally, Jess pulled Shannon to his chest and kissed her forehead. If they were going to be embarrassed, he might as well let everyone know it was a sealed deal. She hid against his chest for a bit, grinning and blushing.
Laurel smiled and tried to settle the group, shooing her hand at them. “Enough, enough! Let’s eat before my chicken gets cold. You two grab some towels out of the mudroom so you don’t ruin my chairs, and come sit down already. I imagine you’re starving.” She chuckled a bit.
Nothing would make her happier, Laurel thought, than to see her own children deeply in love and happily married. It would appear anyway, that Shannon and Jess had finally figured out what so many had known for so long; that they belonged together. She’d known they had always been nuts about each other, they just didn’t own it as lovers until today, apparently.
This was another incentive for her to learn to get along with Jake. She shook her head to herself. She loved him, but was it love or was it just attraction to what they once had? Did she really want to trust him again?
__________________________
Ben sat in the cabin’s makeshift communications center. A couple of long catering tables had been brought in to support a row of laptops with cords running everywhere. The light wasn’t exactly candlelight, but when it was just the two of them in the evening, Ellia thought it gave off a romantic glow.
“You think we’ll be able to get away soon?” Ellia tried to get Ben’s attention. This working vacation was becoming less and less of a vacation every minute.
“Hmm?” He was deep in thought and heard, but didn’t hear her.
“It’s nice out here. Good place to raise kids. I’m getting sick of Virginia, D.C. and the coast.”
“Umhumm.” Ben was reviewing the data he’d been sent from the crime lab in St. Louis. New and state of the art, he was glad it was close. Billions of dollars in technology had been invested into the new lab in an effort to speed up the important evidence resu
lts for cases across the county.
Ellia slumped. She was ready for a change, but didn’t ever think Ben would walk away from his job as a CIDC investigator. The Army liked him, and he got things done. It was almost impossible to drag his attention away.
She leaned over his shoulder, “What is more important than me talking to you today?” He reached up to grab her by the arm to pull her closer.
“Look Ellia. It’s a match. One hundred percent. All the tests say the paint and embedded chrome flakes on the wrecked Camaro match the paint and chrome from the Malibu.” He turned to her. “I have to talk to the James woman. Let’s get the arrest warrants in place.”
“That won’t be too hard. She’s still a local. She may have had a rich and famous boyfriend in college as Angie James, but she’s mainstream folks today. She’s Angie Smythe now. She recently remarried.” Ellia had Ben’s attention now.
“Get warrants for both of them, her as an accessory. Homicide, vehicular manslaughter, whatever you want to call it, it was murder. Jen’s parents should have lived to tell about it. We’ll have to see what kind of a confession we can get. I think those two knew that the Malibu rolled into the ditch and didn’t do a thing.”
__________________________
“LeGrande, I’ll find a way to get rid of him if I have to shoot him myself! This is your last chance. Get rid of Morrison or both of you will die. To hell if I’ll ever have any of his kind in my Navy!
__________________________
It was all they had needed. It had been recorded and was the last piece of evidence to seal the case. The investigation was complete and cooperating JAG and NCIS teams both had enough to nail the bastard, Jake figured. He blew out a long breath of relief after speaking with his NCIS contact.
